The Journey to Happiness is a Long One
by Ashleymariah93
Summary: Married and with a baby on the way this mission couldn't come at a worse time. But he's the only one who can do it. So he accepts. This is his life long mission, after all, to fight from the shadows just like his brother once did. SasukeXSakura centric.
1. Prologue: The Mission

**_Author's Note_**

Here's my take on what happened once Sasuke accepts his 12-year long mission to find Kaguya's army. This is only the prologue, but feel free to let me know what you guys think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto obviously, but I DO own my imagination.

Happy reading! XOXO

* * *

 ** _Summary_**

Married and with a baby on the way this mission couldn't come at a worse time. But he's the only one who can do it. So he accepts. This is his life long mission, after all, to fight from the shadows just like his brother once did.

* * *

 ** _Prologue_**

Sasuke couldn't see Sakura's face, but he was sure the look of disappointment was present. Rightfully so. They were in a war room somewhere in the Hokage tower to discuss recent findings of Kaguya's army and concluded the only way to find said army would be to search other dimensions that she may have hid them in. Unfortunately for Sasuke, that meant he would be the one to go on this god forsaken mission since he was the only one with the eye prowess to do it. But this is the path he chose he thought. To fight from the shadows in order to protect the ones he loves just like Itachi once did.

Sighing, Sasuke looked up at the expectant faces of the other Kage's and gave an affirmative nod. Agreeing to the mission. The screeching of a chair was heard causing everyone's head to turn towards the noise. Naruto stood fists clenched with anger spread across his face.

"Not gonna happen!"

Narrowing his eyes Sasuke stepped towards Naruto, "And who would you suggest to go on this mission then?"

Naruto slapped his chest as if the answer was obvious. "Me! You already spent two and half _years_ outside the village for your redemption."

' _Yeah no kidding I was there loser,' Sasuke thought to himself._

"Not only that but you and Sakura-chan _just_ married and are now pregnant!" Sasuke looked down out this. "I can't sit by and let this happen. You just started your own family you should be able to enjo-"

"Stop," eyes closed Sasuke fisted his hands, "This is my mission to complete. I'm the only one who is capable of completing it anyways. I have the Rinnegan, remember? I can transport myself to different dimensions unlike yourself. You would be wandering aimlessly collecting clues you wouldn't be able to do anything with. If I go I could investigate whatever I find further."

Naruto sobered up at this and looked down in dismay. "This isn't fair. You don't need to do this. Together we could handle anything. We cou-"

"There's no reason to risk a possible invasion if I have the capability to find this army and decimate it. I'm doing the mission. I'll let you know when I'm ready to leave." Turning around Sasuke sighed and looked up to study Sakura's face. She wasn't looking at him, but he could read her face easily. With her hands resting protectively over her swelling belly the look of dismay was all too visible. He hoped she could understand that he wasn't happy about this either, but there were no other options. He had to go. He had to leave his unborn child and his wife. For the sake of the village. Taking one final look at Naruto he grabbed the hand of his wife and led her out of the room. Once the door closed no one spoke.

* * *

 **Next chapter is coming soon!** In the meantime, let me know what you think! I've been reading tons of sasusaku fanfics and I haven't found one about this exact moment or what happened after so here is my version of what happened after this point.

Make sure to favorite this story. Please?

Review to let me know your thoughts. Thank you!

Click follow to receive updates on the next update.

Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 1: Everything Will Be Alright

**Chapter One**

The walk home was a quiet one among the Uchihas. No one said a word after the meeting simply because neither of them knew what to say. They had started a family together and now things were going to change. It wouldn't be the happy ending they wanted it to be after all.

After stopping at a few stands to grab groceries for dinner that night they made their way home to their cozy three bedroom home on the outskirts of Konoha. With all the development going on they were hardly alone this far out. Apartment buildings and single family homes were popping up left and right. Soon enough their home would be apart the ever growing suburbs of Konoha.

As they made their way to the door Sasuke took out their keys to open the door and held the door open for Sakura. Quietly saying thank you she walked into the threshold taking off her shoes in the process and walking straight to the kitchen. Closing the door behind him Sasuke took off his shoes before walking towards the kitchen to lean on the island counter located in their kitchen.

Their home had traditional bones but was decorated with modern elements. The first floor had an open concept so you could see your guest whether you were in the kitchen, dining room, or living room. The kitchen was immaculate with modern finishes and sliding doors leading to their wrap around deck, a feature Sakura insisted on having.

Their dining room was simple with a 4 six seater white oak table, a grey and white rug laid underneath, and a dresser sat against the wall with fine china carefully placed on display. The living room came right after the dining room with a large light gray sectional sofa to help divide the room. A large flat screen tv was situated against the wall opposite of the sofa with floor to ceiling book cases on either side. A rug a coffee table filled the space between the couch and the tv.

Sasuke continued to watch as Sakura put away all their groceries and only kept out what was necessary for their dinner that night. Sakura started chopping vegetables for their curry and had already set their rice maker to start cooking. Carefully placing the vegetables into the pot she gathered the soiled dishes and placed them in the sink to wash. Realizing she wasn't going to speak to him Sasuke sighed before pushing himself off the counter to walk behind Sakura. He wrapped his arm around her waist and let his sole hand rest on her swelling belly and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"What is it Sasuke?" She asked while continuing to wash the dishes.

"You're mad at me," he stated a matter of factly.

"No." Sasuke glanced at her and noticed she was intently focused on washing the cutting board now.

"No?"

"No."

Sighing, "I know I've upset you and I'm sorry. There's still a threat out there and I can't sit by and wait for it to come take you and our unborn child away." His eyes never left the side of her face in order to search for some kind of reaction. And he wasn't disappointed. Shutting off the water after finishing the dishes Sakura closed her eyes to contemplate what she would say next. Turning within his embrace and she looked up at him before speaking.

"I know." Pausing to sigh she continued. "I know _why_ you're doing it and I can't say I disagree with your logic, Sasuke-kun. But we just got married not too long ago and I'm 5 months pregnant for God's sake!" Sighing to calm herself down she spoke more calmly, "I'm sorry. I...I know I'm just being selfish. It's just a lot to take in, ya know?" She brushed back his bangs with both hands to get a good look at his face and let her hands rest on the back of his neck. He brought his sole hand up to cup her face and moved closer until he could feel her breath on his face.

"I will stay as long as I can to spend more time with you and to make sure you will be okay while I'm gone. But please Sakura know that no matter what happens…" He leaned his forehead against hers and didn't continue until her emerald eyes met his mismatched ones. "...I will always love you."

Eyes tearing she pulled him closer until their lips met. Softly at first the kiss quickly became more passionate. He moved his hand to the back of her head and pressed her closer as her hands gripped the hairs on the back of his head slightly harder to express her need for closer contact. The sound of the rice cooker announcing it was finished broke them apart, but not before they took one last look at each other before Sakura hurried to check on the curry.

Sasuke turned around to watch her for a bit before moving to set the table. When he was finished Sakura had already brought over a bowl of curry and rice for both of them and set it down on the table.

They ate their dinner while Sakura talked about how the children's hospital was going along with whatever else came to mind. Sasuke listened quietly as he ate his dinner and made sure to nod or hum to let her know he was still listening.

When they were finished they packed up the leftovers and he cleaned the remainder of the dishes while she dried. Once finished Sakura made tea and set their table on their deck so they could enjoy the evening together outside.

Sakura placed the teapot on the table as they both sat sipping their tea carefully while watching the sunset past their beautiful garden. When they first made plans to build their home together the only other thing Sakura stressed about other than the need to have a wraparound porch was the need for a beautiful garden. Ino helped her choose the right plants and flowers to place back there to make it as tranquil as possible which resulted in bushes of roses, lavender, and hydrangeas placed throughout the yard. Sighing she placed her teacup down and glanced at Sasuke who had finished his tea as well.

"Everything will be alright, Anata." She smiled brilliantly at him. Sasuke blinked, unsure what to say after witnessing her smile like that. He reached across the small table and placed a loose piece of pink hair behind her ear before nodding. His hand cupped her cheek, "Ah, I believe you're right, Sakura."

* * *

 **How'd ya like it?** Let me know what you think in the reviews. Make sure to follow for chapter updates and favorite the story becauseeee you love it? I hope you do. No pressure though.

I haven't decided if I want to keep the chapters this length or make them larger. I think for the sake of consistency with updates I'll probabbbbly keep them fairly short but who knows.

Thank you again for reading!


	3. Chapter 2: Too Soon

_**Chapter 2: Too Soon**_

Sasuke threw his arm over his eyes trying to hide from the sun peeking through their bedroom windows. Unsuccessful at his attempt to hide from the blinding sun he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Still sprawled on the bed he rolled towards his wife and raised a hand to push back a few unruly strands that blocked her view of her face.

Gliding the back of his hand along Sakura's cheek he reveled in how soft it was. Slowly he made his way down to her chin and lifted it gently to get a better angle and dipped down to capture her lips. He breathed in her scent and sucked on her bottom lip then pulled away before he could wake her up, but was mildly surprised when their eyes met anyways. Neither said a word as their bodies gravitated towards each other.

Sakura's leg found its way over Sasuke's hip as his sole arm wove around her waist bringing her as close as possible. They laid like that for what felt like hours but was only a few minutes just looking into each other's eyes completely captivated by each other's presence. Sasuke's fingers traced the shape of Sakura's eyes feeling at peace with just staring into her emerald orbs. If anyone were to barge in on them they would clearly see how Sasuke's feelings towards his wife were truly replicated in every way. She was his sun, his light at the end of the tunnel. He would do anything to make sure she and their unborn child lived a happy life with or without him. He had to. He broke their eye contact first and buried his head in her neck.

Taking a deep breath he began to place light kisses on her ear and traced an invisible line down the side of her neck with his lips. Soft mewls could be heard at his antics which only encouraged him to continue. As he made his way down along her collarbone he slowly slides his body further down the bed his arm wrapped tighter around her waist and laid her flat on the mattress to ease himself on top of her. Her silk nightgown, which barely covered anything, was already in disarray from sleeping and allowed him a generous view of the top of her breasts.

Leaning up he stared down at her flushed form. Hair askew in every direction, lips slightly parted. Her knees hugged his waist allowing her nightgown to fall at her hips which failed to cover her lower region. He couldn't think of a place he'd rather be.

Leaning back down his lips just barely reached her breasts before he stopped to pull the straps down her arms just enough for him to pull the top of her night gown just below her perky breasts. He felt her hands brush through the front of his hair so he could see better while he placed opened mouthed kissed along her mounds.

"Ah!" She gasped as he began sucking on her left breast as his sole hand massaged the right. He glanced up at her with his smoldering eyes and smirked when he saw how excited she was.

Sakura ripped the sheets from around them to make it easier for Sasuke to move around as she moaned again and again until she couldn't take it anymore.

"S-Sasuke! Mmm - stop being a tease!" Her head was thrown back once he made his way down to her nether regions and gave it a swift lick.

Glancing up he scoffed at her weak plea and continued to suckle on her sensitive bud as she moaned louder. He felt her hands pull at his hair as he pushed her legs farther apart for a better angle. He pulled back with a pop and shoved his pants off haphazardly positioning himself between her legs.

Sakura looked up at him with half lidded eyes, arms sprawled out beside her head with a light blush on her cheeks gasping for air. He leaned down to capture her plump lips and gasped as he buried himself in her and stood still to let Sakura adjust to his size and slowly pulled out just to slam back in a second later.

"Ahh!" Sakura's head fell back as her eyes rolled to the back of her head at the amount of pleasure he was giving her. Sasuke kept up a fast pace gasping as his sole hand gripped Sakura's kissing his way up her neck until he reached her lips.

When their lips met they both breathed in to savor the taste of each other's lips as Sasuke's movements slowed if only to savor the feeling of being inside her as well. His hand moved down to her thigh and lifted it until her knee rested against his chest and he pumped slower and harder.

"Fuck, Sakura!" He hissed.

She gasped as he pumped harder into her until she came causing him to follow soon after. Falling to his side to avoid crushing her swelling belly he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer.

They lay there in each other's arms trying to catch their breath and rested their foreheads against the other.

"Mmm good morning to you too Sasuke-kun." Sakura smiled gently with her eyes still closed. She felt his chest rumble with a chuckle as his lips softly as he leaned up to kiss her forehead.

"Good morning." he said huskily.

"So, what are our plans today? Ino will be taking over my duties until I'm ready to go back. She sorta forced me to go on an early maternity leave." Sasuke hummed contemplating a response.

"Let's start preparing the baby's room. We haven't decided on decorations or furniture yet. Might as well start today." He said simply. Sakura's eyes sparkled at that loving the idea of decorating their baby's room.

They both reluctantly got up from their bed and got ready for the day. Breakfast was made and eaten on their back porch and once finished they cleaned up and headed out the door. It was springtime in Konoha so the weather was not too hot or cold. They walked hand in hand towards the new furniture store that just opened up downtown and searched for the baby section. After being directed in the right directions they found the section they were looking for.

Glancing around they tried finding something that was gender neutral since they decided to let the baby's gender be a secret and came upon a simple white crib with baby animals engraved along the top. They found a dresser, changing table, and a rocker that matched the crib and walked to the front to place their order for delivery.

They walked through the market to find decorative items like lighting, cute baby animal picture frames, and bedding for the crib. They would save on buying clothes and diapers once they had a baby shower.

By the time they finished their shopping it was already mid afternoon. Ready to eat another meal they decided on something fast and stopped by Ichiraku's. Sasuke held the flap open to allow Sakura to walk through and neither was surprised to see Naruto slurping his noodles surrounded by empty bowls. Hinata sat next to him seemingly eating her ramen just if not more enthusiastically as Naruto was.

Poor Hinata. Naruto has corrupted her already with his insane craving for ramen. Those aren't her bowls, right? Sakura pondered to herself as she took a seat next to Hinata while Sasuke made a move to sit by Naruto.

He flicked Naruto's ear before sitting next to him earning him an ear full of complaints about how much of a bastard he was being.

They both ordered tonkatsu ramen and dug in chatting with the couple in between slurps.

"So, Hinata," Said girl stopped mid slurp to look at Sakura, "you seem to have acquired a taste for ramen like Naruto, huh?" Sakura glanced at the now 20 or so bowls piling up around the couple.

Slurp! "Kinda. Naruto-kun and I are competing to see who can eat the most bowls of ramen. Something about being the Ramen King, I think." She went back to slurping up more noodles.

Sakura paled at that and tried her best not to gag from the mere thought of eating so many noodles. Leaning back to get a look at Sasuke it seemed he was rather pale as well.

Must have gotten the low down from Naruto as well.

Sasuke and Sakura finished their bowls and got up to leave. Waving their farewells to the couple still plowing through multiple bowls of ramen the two left. They walked back towards their home to relax for the rest of the day. Once inside they were welcomed by Kakashi already sitting on their couch.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke huffed clearly annoyed at the intrusion. Kakashi craned his head to get a better look at the couple still taking off their sandals and smiled.

"Now now is that any way to address your Hokage?"

"Tch. Hokage or not no one invited you inside."

"That's not very nice, Sasuke. Sakura, you should teach your husband to treat guests better." Pouting as he glanced at his former students. Sakura giggled and moved to sit next to her former sensei.

"What brings you here, Kakashi?" She smiled as he placed a gentle hand on her swelling belly.

"Ah, yes. Unfortunately, I came by to deliver some unfortunate news it seems." His expression turned hard as he looked towards Sasuke who sat across from him. He felt Sakura tense slightly and made sure not to look her way for fear of seeing her expression dull. "You have a mission tasked by the 5 Kages which will require you to leave the village sooner than expected. It seems like traces of a foreign chakra has been found in a neighboring village. It seems your suspicions may be true after all but until we have solid proof we cannot implement any course of action. You leave tomorrow morning, indefinitely."

Kakashi felt the couch shift and chanced a glance at where Sakura once sat only to find her walking towards the backyard. It hurt him to see her this way but he had no choice in the matter. Sasuke was the only one capable of doing the job.

Sasuke sighed, "This can't wait a few days? At least until we have our child's room situated?"

Kakashi's sullen look told him everything he needed to know. He shot up from his seat fist clenched. "Fine. Leave the scroll where I could find it. I'll make preparations and head out in the morning."

Kakashi said nothing as he watched Sasuke move towards the backyard to find his wife. Sighing he placed the scroll on the coffee table and made his leave silently wishing he could take on this task in Sasuke's stead.

"He deserves that much, at least."

* * *

And there we have it Chapter 2 coming at cha. How was it?

I created a Tumblr that is 100% dedicated to Naruto and will feature previews for the next chapters, random pairing posts, as well as chapter posts. I will also love it if you guys would ask any questions you have about the story on my Tumblr instead of in the reviews on . I think it's easier for people to scroll through questions and answers via Tumblr rather than here. Let's try and keep reviews strictly about love/hate hopefully mostly love. Link to my Tumblr is below thanks!

If you haven't already make sure to fav and follow - I would love to receive love from you guys as an incentive to continue to write and pour my soul into this story.

Side note - I'm going to start making shout outs next update so make sure to leave your review. =]

Thanks!


End file.
